Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-22

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The pie charts below show how working adults in a particular country spent their time in 1958 and 2008.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

* Note: these aren’t the original diagrams given in the test, they were recreated for the purpose of demonstration.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

This pie chart illustrates, the data of two years where young generations had spent their time in 1958 and 2008. The unit is measured in percentage.

Overall, this new generation has spend their most of the time in working by 33% in 1958 and 42% in 2008 and the least time was given at travelling with 2% in 1958 and followed by it in 2008 only 6% of an adult went out with friends and family.

According to the given chart that represents the adult activities in 1958 is that one-third number of grown-ups spent their time while working followed by sleeping with the difference of 1% only. In the third place going out with family preferred the most. However, travelling to work and chilling at home were the least preferred with 2% and 8%.

In case of 2008 around 42% of mature people spent their time by working, and at next sleeping was the second that comes with the time of quarter, followed by relaxing at home with 13%. However, travelling to work and playing sports game remains same with 7% and at last going out with family was last factor that was done by young adult with 6%.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main pattern that work takes the largest share in both years, and you include several relevant figures, such as 33% and 42% for working and 32% for sleeping in 1958. However, some key details are inaccurate or unclear: in 2008, the smallest category is going out with friends or family at 6%, not travelling, and travelling and sports are both 7%. The overview also calls the adults a “new generation” and refers to young people, although the chart concerns working adults. Your comparisons are mostly presented as separate rankings rather than clearly highlighting the major changes, such as the fall in socialising from 19% to 6% and the rise in commuting from 2% to 7%. Select and compare the most important changes more precisely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, an overview, and separate descriptions of the two years. This makes the information generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “According to the given chart” and “In case of 2008” signal a shift between sections. However, the progression is sometimes weakened by unclear references and mechanical linking. For example, “followed by it in 2008” does not clearly identify the activity being discussed, while repeated uses of “However” do not always express a contrast. The overview also combines several points in a long sentence, making the main comparison harder to grasp. Organise the body around the most notable increases and decreases, and use more precise links between related figures.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for describing proportions and activities, including “one-third,” “quarter,” “preferred,” and “difference.” However, word choice and collocation are often imprecise for an academic chart summary. “Young generations” and “mature people” do not accurately describe the chart’s working adults, while “spent their time while working” and “playing sports game” sound unnatural. “Chilling at home” is also too informal for this task. Repetition of “time,” “working,” and “followed by” limits the range, and “has spend” shows an inaccurate word form. Aim for precise, neutral terms such as “working adults,” “accounted for,” and “the proportion spent on,” and avoid substituting synonyms that change the meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including comparisons and subordinate clauses, but control is inconsistent. Errors appear in verb forms and agreement: “has spend” should be “spent,” and “one-third number of grown-ups spent their time” does not form a clear grammatical construction. Articles and sentence structure are also problematic in “at next sleeping was the second that comes with the time of quarter.” Punctuation creates an error in the opening, where a comma separates “illustrates” from its object. These issues sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow, even though the reader can understand the general topic. Practise building accurate comparison sentences with clear subjects and verbs, then check tense, articles, and punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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